Reprinting: Invincible #1-13
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Invincible: Ultimate Collection, vol. 1 2005 (HC) 290 pages
Written by Robert Kirkman. Illustrated by Cory Walker, Ryan Ottley.
Colours: Bill Crabtree. Letters: Robert Kirkman.
Reprinting: Invincible #1-13
Which were also reprinted in three TPBs: Invincible: Family Matters (rep. #1-4), Invincible: Eight is Enough (rep. #5-8), Invincible: Perfect Strangers (rep. #9-13)
Rating: * * * (out of 5)
Number of readings: 3
Recommended for Mature Readers
Published by Image Comics
The funny thing is, I've had this for a while -- but hadn't posted a review. And that's 'cause I found myself wobbling back and forth. In fact, I did post a review of the second TPB volume at www.ugo.com here. and, looking it over, I realize I was quite enthusiastic about the series. Strangely, Invincible seems to be something where the more I read, or the more times I re-read the same issues, the more my enthusiasm seems to wane. Or maybe I'm just a grumpy old cuss.
Invincible is about teenage Mark Grayson -- a second generation super hero whose father is the Superman-like Omni Man. But this is no family secret, no revelation Mark learns on his father's death bed or anything (as other stories about second generation super heroes have been). Rather, Mark lives in the bosom of his nuclear family, where mom makes the lunches and dad zips off to fight giant monsters, while Mark deals with the everyday of going to school, flipping burgers at his after school job, etc. When he suddenly begins to manifest super powers, Mark's reaction is a pleased but phlegmatic: "It's about time."
And thus he begins his super heroing career...and thus begins Robert Kirkman's mix of action, comedy, drama and parody, as Mark sets out to be a super hero in a world where his dad can show him the ropes -- and introduce him to the super hero community's costume designer! -- and where at his first encounter, he is invited to join the resident teen age group, the Teen Team.
The first four issues (originally collected as Family Matters) establish the core concepts and, though rambling and episodic, do tell a self-contained story arc -- literally! The first issue begins with an action scene...then we jump back six months and that scene isn't repeated until the fourth issue. But these early issues seem to be finding their way a bit, as the creators settle on the right mix of comedy and drama, in a series that is both a sly spoof of the super hero genre...and a serious super hero story where serious things occur with serious consequences.
Part of the point is to focus as much on Mark as on his alter ego of Invincible, where the day-to-day of his life at school and dealing with friends are given as much page time as his super heroing. And this sort of works -- putting a human focus on the super human story -- and it sort of doesn't. The problem, in a way, is that Mark's everyday life is rather, well, dull. He has few worries about money, math or dates -- in a way, his "normal" life seems as much a fantasy as his super heroing. If he has a hassle at work -- he just quits. When Stan Lee and the gang put as much emphasis on Peter Parker's life as they did Spider-Man's in the old Spider-Man comics, it worked because Peter's life was dramatic (and funny) on its own.
Kirkman and company also come from the "decompression" movement in comics -- where little scenes are stretched out over a lot of pages. Scenes that would be cute for a couple of panels get stretched out over a couple of pages, and conversations that might have more impact condensed into a couple of well chosen sentences take up reams of paragraphs. Kirkman and company even cheekily draw attention to what they're doing in a scene where Mark meets a comic book artist who talks about how scenes can be padded out by simply repeating the same image over again.
Kirkman also seems to be following in the footsteps of a lot of modern creators who like the idea of playing with an already established super hero universe -- even if it's not already established. So instead of developing this reality, we are tossed into an instant universe of pre-existing super teams and arch foes. And as part of this short hand creativity, Kirkman happily fills it out with characters that are meant to be knowing homages/rip-offs/parodies of established super heroes.
But by constantly throwing in homages to everything from Star Trek to comic book villain Kobra, Kirkman pretends he's creating a reality when all he's doing is piggy backing his ideas on others' creativity, while coccooning his lack of originality in a critic-proof shield of parody. And the idea of Invincible spending a few pages fighting a villain where we never really know why (because that "plot" happens off the page) seems a bit, well, lazy.
Ironically, Kirkman loves the idea of continuity -- but often more in its regards to throw away bits and jokes. In issue #1, Mark accidentally tosses a garbage bag into orbit. In issue number 5, we cutaway to the garbage crashing to earth -- in a scene that is amusing if you had read #1...completely bewildering and unexplained if you hadn't! The series is full of that -- little cutaway scenes that will make no sense if you haven't been following the series. Yet when it comes to the more serious plot developments, Kirkman doesn't thread things quite as cleverly. There's a major twist part way through these issues -- of the "nothing will ever be the same!!!" variety. Yet even re-reading the prior issues, you can't really say there are any hints or foreshadowing of it.
Which maybe is the fundamental problem. I first read volume 2, and really enjoyed it, loving it as much for its promise as for itself, aware that I was missing a lot of the greater context. But having now read the entire 13 issue opening arc, a couple of times, I find that Invincible is something which kind of loses, rather than gains, something in multiple readings. There's an inherent shallowness to it all...even despite its shift into darker, more serious turns. It's a breezy little confection that is initially fun because it's so obviously fuelled by a fan boy geek sensibility and a self-reflective sense of whimsy...but fails to quite rise above that.
Like so many modern comics (in the wake of Alan Moore's The Watchmen) seeking to find the "reality" in the fantasy, I'd argue once again, Kirkman and company (like Moore) have kind of missed the point. There are moments of believability -- a beautiful, minor scene where Mark is in outer space for the first time and just stops to look around him -- but in other ways, Kirkman doesn't seem to realize how a real person would react in certain situations. Kirkman imbues Mark with some autobiographical aspects by making him a fan of comic books and zombie movies (Kirkman writes the zombie comic Walking Dead), but then has Mark witness things like a school chum being blown up before his eyes...without so much as batting an eye!
In fact, Kirkman's cavalier approach to "collateral damage" undermines the very "humanity" that he would seem to be trying to emphasize (maybe being so into horror movies, as Kirkman is, really does warp your ability to feel compassion?!?).
And what started out seeming an "all ages" romp gets increasingly less so, with racy humour and ultra gory violence making it for "mature readers". If the series had started out that way, fine, but even Kirkman acknowledges in an editorial (printed in one of the TPB volumes) that he was aware the series was perceived as somewhat family friendly, and that people might be put off by the sudden -- and uncautioned -- switch. The series isn't even sold with any "mature warning" warning on the cover (hence why leaving publishers to rate themselves is a bad idea).
The art on the series starts out by Cory Walker, then is assumed by Ryan Ottley. Both men have sufficiently similar styles that there isn't a significant visual shift in the series, and the art is of an open, cartoony style that is kind of appealing -- energetic and telling the scenes well. But though the style suits the series, which, after all, straddles comedy and drama, it kind of gives it a sort of Archie Andrews look and maybe ads to my feeling of distance, of not quite getting into the emotional heart of the characters.
These 13 issues were also released in smaller TPB collections. The first volume (Family Matters) is still finding it's way in terms of tone, but at least it provides an appropriate jumping in point, and does introduce a story arc that begins and ends in those issues, making it the most satisfying read on its own. The second collection (Eight is Enough) is more problematic -- it was the first one I read, and I really enjoyed it, it exciting me about the series. But it's also obviously just a middle act, either featuring a dramatic revelation that will have less impact if you haven't read the earlier issues, or clearly setting things up for the next TPB. Still, it features enough stand alone parts that it can be enjoyed for itself. The third volume contains the big climax to the first year long story arc, but Kirkman is too much a part of modern comics writing (which tend to eschew text captions or recaps) so I suspect it really won't read very well on its own.
The story in issue #5 perhaps best epitomizes all the things Kirkman's trying for -- the quirky humour, the adventure, the portrayal of what it would mean to be a guy just becoming a super hero, all wrapped up in a single issue, coherent story (a thin story, but a story). It's a really good one-off issue. But too few of the rest of the issues rise to its level.
Heck, when you get to the end of the 13 part arc...you don't really feel like you reached the end of an epic saga.
Ultimately, there's a lot of fun, a lot to like about Invincible...but I'm just not loving it. (And, ironically, given my qualms about the comics' violence...apparently an animated TV series for kids based on Invincible is in the works!)
Cover price: __ CDN/ $34.95 USA
JSA: The Golden Age
See The Golden Age
Written by Paul Levitz, Gerry Conway. Pencils by Ric Estrada, Keith Giffen, Wally Wood, Joe Staton. Inks by Wally Wood, Bob Layton. 
Justice Society, vol. 1
2006 (SC TPB) 224 pages
Colours/letters: various.
Reprinting: All-Star Comics #58-67, DC Special #29 (1976-1977), with covers
Rating: * * * * (out of 5)
Number of readings: 2
Published by DC Comics
The Justice Society of America is seen as the progenitor of the super hero team. Originally created in the 1940s, it teamed up many of DC Comics' existing characters in the comic All-Star Comics. But with the advent of the so-called "Silver Age", the Justice Society was replaced by the Justice League, and DC's 1940s characters were relegated to an alternate world -- Earth 2 -- only making occasional guest appearances in the regular DC titles. But they were popular guest appearances, presumably, because it eventually led to a revival of All-Star Comics and telling then-contemporary adventures of the now middle-aged earth 2 heroes.
Though fondly recalled, these 1970s stories presumably weren't that successful, as the series didn't last too long (although, I believe its axing came at a time of massive restructuring at DC, when many titles were cancelled, meaning, the sales figures might not have been that bad, just it was in the wrong place at the wrong time). And though it was no longer considered "in" continuity in the wake of DC's "Crisis on Infinite Earths which eliminated the concept of parallel earths (though that may all be changing with DC's more recent "reality shaking" epics), the series clearly had an influence, with new characters first introduced in this series -- such as Power Girl and the Huntress -- being retained, albeit in altered forms. And, of course, the notion of the middle aged JSA members still fighting crime continues to this day in various JSA and Justice Society titles.
Anyhoo... the advantage to the 1970s revival having only run for a limited number of issues is that, now, DC can collect the complete run in two TPBs.
The first volume collects the first 10 issues of the revived All-Star Comics, plus a 34 page retroactive tale telling the hitherto "untold" origin of the 1940s-era Justice Society.
Clearly there was some behind the scenes dithering at DC about how the revived series should originally be sold -- or perhaps simply concerns about whether, with an existing Justice League comic, did they also want a Justice Society comic? Though it stars the Justice Society, and the name is featured on the cover, initially the gimmick is that the older JSA members team up with some younger heroes to form an amalgamated group, the All-Star Super Squad. But the name is barely used inside the comics and, eventually, the All-Star Super Squad name is dropped even from the covers.
The Justice Society is comprised primarily of Green Lantern, the Flash, Dr. Fate, Hawkman and Wildcat joined by younger heroes -- the now adult Robin, working as a solo hero now that the earth 2 Batman has retired, the Star-Spangled Kid, a Golden Age hero who, through a time paradox chronicled in an earlier JLA/JSA team up, is still youthful, only now borrowing Starman's power rod, and the series' first original character -- the earth 2 Supergirl, Power Girl. Of course, because Earth 2 has its own history and heroes, Dr. Mid-Nite and Hourman and others crop up for a few issues here and there (and Robin makes only sporadic appearances). Most notably the Earth 2 Superman, defiantly grey haired and middle aged.
Now, I'll admit, it's hard for me to be objective reviewing this, 'cause, as a kid, I kind of dug the JSA -- most of my Justice League comics were the annual JLA/JSA team up stories, and I actually had read some of the issues collected here.
Gerry Conway kicks off the stories, though Paul Levitz eventually takes over, and sure, these aren't necessarily brilliant adventures, or insightful treatise on the Human Condition...but they're an enjoyable run. And though I'm not sure there was as much of a difference in house styles between Marvel and DC as fans like to claim, I suppose there was a kind of Marvel feel to this DC series, with a slight soap opera-y feel and an emphasis on the interpersonal dynamics (admittedly, often bickering). In fact, by featuring this large cast of characters, there's almost a kind of freeflowing stream of consciousness to the adventures, with so much going on, heroes coming and going, and sub-plots introduced, that various adventures and threats overlap with each other, so that it's often hard to say where one menace ends and another begins (though there's enough closure that most stories begin and end in two issues). And there's a fair amount of variety, as menaces range from super beings out to conquer the world, appearances from the JSA's rogues gallery, to a memorable tale involving time travel and an alien cityscape.
There's an energy to the storytelling that keeps things clipping along briskly. Admittedly, there's a lot of promise that goes unresolved. For all that there's a "soap opera" feel, a lot of hints of personal angst kind of crop up...then get dropped just as quickly. There are scenes hinting the Star-Spangled Kid has a crush on Power Girl...but they never lead anywhere. Perhaps the most consistent such thread here involves Green Lantern, who faces personal bankruptcy...but it builds to a climax that doesn't occur until vol. 2!
And an advantage to this collection -- and the whole "parallel earths" concept -- is that the adventures exist in their own reality. Oh, there are certainly plenty of references to past adventures, since the JSA had been around as guest stars for the last few years, and old time foes crop up, but there's still a sort of self-containedness to it all that's appealing -- and makes it easier to read decades later.
The art is handled by various artists at first. Ric Estrada for a couple of issues, then Keith Giffen, who provides solid lay outs for 4 issues, and Wally Wood for two -- but the catch is, Wood inks them all, providing a uniform look to the first eight issues, Wood being one of those imposing inkers who kind of dominates the penciller -- you're more like to recognize Wood's style than the penciller he's inking. And Wood is a well regarded talent, bringing a kind of elegant classicism to the art. A Golden Age artist himself, Wood's style -- though more accomplished and detailed than many of the Golden Age artists -- nonetheless provides a kind of appealing retro feel to this revival of 1940s heroes. As such, there's a visual panache to much of these issues that definitely helps sell the tales, with the Giffen/Wood combo being the best. Joe Staton assumes the art chores (teamed with inker Bob Layton), and though I'm often a Staton fan, the shift in art style hurts the series a bit...though Staton, who remained with the series for the rest of its run, certainly made the series his own.
Actually the contrast in styles also brings up another point.
As originally drawn, Power Girl was initially given a rather, uh, impressive bust line (most assigning credit/blame to Wood) and, sure, there was a kind of cheesecake fun to that -- particularly as, stereotypes aside, comics back then tended not to be that sexploitive. But even then there was a certain restraint to it all -- and very quickly her cleavage emphasizing costume was redesigned at the insistence of DC's female then-publisher, Jeanette Kahn. When Staton assumed the art chores, Power Girl was drawn no more exaggerated than any other heroine.
But...over the years, modern comics creators have kind of used that as a license to expand her bosom, sometimes to ridiculous levels, despite the fact that, as Staton drew most of the JSA run, most of the time, her dimensions weren't so unusual. I just was thinking about this realizing just how uninhibited and, frankly, uncontrolled modern comics creators have become, and how even modern mainstream comics will feature exploitive, cheesecake art that makes Wood's Power Girl look positively puritanical -- this despite the fact that modern comics are supposedly aiming to be more respectable and sophisticated, when they actually seem more like adolescent male fantasies than ever before!
Anyway...
Although this is a collection of an on-going series and, as such, plot threads are left dangling (to be resolved in vol. 2) this collection, nonetheless doesn't end on a cliff hanger per se, with the primary stories resolving by the end. Also rounding out the collection is a memorable World War II-era tale, by Levitz/Staton/Layton of the original, Golden Age heroes that's an enjoyable adventure, well illustrated.
I can't say it's high art, but this collection is a fun, engaging collection, with a nice mix of adventure, hi-jinks and human angst.
Cover price: $19.99 CDN./ $14.99 USA.
Written by Paul Levitz. Pencils by Joe Staton. Inks by Bob Layton, Joe Staton, Dave Hunt, Joe Giella.
Justice Society, vol. 2 2007 (SC TPB) 224 pgs.
Colours/letters: various.
Reprinting: All-Star Comics #68-74 (plus covers) and the JSA stories from Adventure Comics #461-466 (1977-1979)
Rating: * * * * (out of 5)
Number of readings: 1
Published by DC Comics
This is the second and final volume collecting the fondly remembered (but short lived) 1970s adventures of the Justice Society, back when DC had those characters living on the parallel world of earth 2, and where the team membership included some middle aged Golden Age heroes, newer additions like Power Girl and the Huntress, and characters soon to be written our of continuity, such as the Golden Age Superman and Batman.
Though the series may've been at its best in the first volume, benefiting from the elegant classical art of Wally Wood, and where the large pantheon of heroes made for some nicely busy plotting (perhaps an influence of original scripter Gerry Conway) I still thoroughly enjoyed this collection. As I mentioned in my review of volume one, I'm not unbiased, having long had a fondness for the Justice Society of this era. And again, I won't pretend this is flawless, or even that sophisticated. But it's an enjoyable run. The large cast of characters that Levitz has to draw upon -- the whole of the earth 2 heroes -- means the cast is constantly in flux, as characters come and go, join up for an adventure or two, then disappear. Levitz prunes a few characters that, clearly, he lacked interest in...and, ironically, often their swan songs are the best uses of the characters, so that he dumps them just when you feel he's finally fleshing them out. In fact, Levitz has a bit of trouble settling on the personalities, sometimes with a character expressing contradictory attitudes in different issues!
This collection begins continuing some plot threads from the previous volume, so it can seem a bit confusing, such as having the retired Batman, now Gotham City Police Commissioner, pursuing a strange vendetta against the JSA. But most of it's self-contained enough that you don't really need to have read volume one to follow things. In fact, most plots don't really last more than a couple of issues.
One of the appeals of these "earth 2" adventures is that they were isolated from the mainstream (earth 1) DC Universe, which should make them easier to read in isolation. Of course, they still have their own backstories to draw upon (with arch foes) as these characters had been around for decades. But there are also a few times where there are references to concurrent events, including guest appearances in the Justice League of America, and at one point Power Girl wanders off and we're told that her story continue elsewhere (she received a three issue trial series in the pages of Showcase) -- of course, in this day and age of TPB collections, modern readers can still pick up those tales (the JLA/JSA team ups are collected in various Crisis on Multiple Earths collections, and the Power Girl Showcase issues were included in a recent Power Girl TPB). Not that you really need to read the stories, as they have little impact on the actual plots here (Power Girl is back in an issue or two), but they do explain a few oblique references.
One of the best stories is perhaps the most notorious -- the killing off of the earth 2 Bruce Wayne. But it works reasonably well as a story and drama, and dealing with the emotional repercussions for the other heroes. Also of note is the final adventure in the series in which we learn why the JSA disbanded in the 1950s -- it's an interesting, arguably daring tale in that it deals with the infamous, real life House UnAmerican Activities Committee, proving that comics could deal with "political" subject matter long before the modern generation of comics writers likes to pretend they did.
Joe Staton is the artist for this entire run of stories, paired with different inkers -- Bob Layton brings a firmer, more realist line work to Staton's cartoony pencils, which is effective, yet when Staton inks himself, there's a raw energy that's equally effective. Perhaps the only mismatch is a pairing with Joe Giella for a couple of issues that doesn't really work. As much as I liked the Wood influenced earlier issues, Staton made the characters his own, and perhaps because he has such a distinctive style, it avoids demanding too much comparison between the two.
Ultimately, no, this isn't high art or ground breaking material...but it's an enjoyable read, briskly paced and eminently readable, with just enough character quirks and conflicts to provide a human sheen to the high flying heroics.
Cover price: $17.99 CDN./ $14.99 USA
The Justice Society Returns
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